Mast rack conundrum.....

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Neil

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I meant Mast Track Conundrum.....

The track for my mainsail terminates quite a good way from the boom. Under normal circumstances, the mainsail runners would fall out the bottom of the track as the main sail is lowered. I try and secure the runners in the track with a bit of bungee cord going round the mast at the base of the track. However, this is not very secure, but more importantly, when the sail is lowered, the flaked sail is a long way from the boom and is difficult to tie down and fit the sail cover. The solution that I envision is a short, removable section of track with a stop at the end, which I could place immediately below the existing track, secured by a strap or clamp around the mast, which could be taken off when the main sail needs to be removed. Is there such a thing or is there another solution out there that would solve my problem?
 
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A pin as suggested or a track stop wold be more secure but neither helps the issue of the height above the boom.

Not possible to fit the boom on a slide in section of track I suppose ?

How about a fixed section of track with a sail entry gate between it and the existing track
 
If you can extend the existing track, I'd do it to just far enough above the boom to allow the slides out when needed, and fit a stop of some sort at the bottom.

Depending on the track, this could be a hole drilled through the slide channel to take a drop pin or R clip or the (possibly expensive) proper gizmo, which exists for some tracks. If all else fails, I'd be considering a spare slide with some means of locking it in place, which could be as simple and brutal as a blunt self tapper through it if you don't need to let the sail slides out too often.
 
Neil said:
I meant Mast Track Conundrum.....

The track for my mainsail terminates quite a good way from the boom. Under normal circumstances, the mainsail runners would fall out the bottom of the track as the main sail is lowered. I try and secure the runners in the track with a bit of bungee cord going round the mast at the base of the track. However, this is not very secure, but more importantly, when the sail is lowered, the flaked sail is a long way from the boom and is difficult to tie down and fit the sail cover. The solution that I envision is a short, removable section of track with a stop at the end, which I could place immediately below the existing track, secured by a strap or clamp around the mast, which could be taken off when the main sail needs to be removed. Is there such a thing or is there another solution out there that would solve my problem?
Click to expand...

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?344726-Mast-gate-DIY-job

:D
 
Not sure if this helps with your setup but on mine there are a pair of plastic hooks either side of the mast track, all I do tie a piece of cord accross. I'm going to the boat at the weekend I'll post some pics if you want?
 
Neil said:
Well clearly, I'm not the first to be faced with such a difficulty, and all of these ideas about closing the gate have merit, though the difficulty of the big gap between gooseneck and track is still an issue. Is it possible to buy a short section of track?
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Is the Irish solution, not just to take a bit of track off the top. and add it on at the bottom?:D
 
Adamastor said:
Please put us out of our misery and post a pic of your current mast-track?
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Well, not until I go back down to the boat..... I reckon I need about 30 cm of track and the sliders seem to have a circular section, from memory. A search of the web has revealed several different profiles, though none I've seen yet are circular.
 
image.jpgimage.jpg

OP's mast track sounds like this one. I started the other thread when I was trying to achieve the same thing. Having looked and measured I gave up.... Sounds like I might need to canabalise the track section from an old mast or boom if I want to try again


Edit.. Must learn how to upload pics. Link anyone?
 
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There are two separate problems that the OP has - the 1st is that his track is too short to allow him to stow his mainsail on the boom. The second is that the slides fall out of the (short) track.
As the precise system on his mast is shrouded in mystery, at the risk of making asses of us all, I am going to assume that it's an external track fixed to a wooden or early production aluminium extrusion.
His first problem can only be solved by extending the track lower down the mast. His second problem is best solved by having a removable length of track and a stop.
The unknown-section of track and slides may be obsolete and unobtainable. In which case the only answer to both problems is to replace track and slides with ones that do solve both problems - as this is likely to be an expensive and challenging business I doubt it will be attractive to the OP.
The cheapest and simplest option would be to fix a threaded stop at the bottom of the existing track (an 8mm bolt with a captive nut epoxied into the mast at the end of the track) and put up with the gap between gooseneck and track-end.
 
Neil said:
I went down to the boat and took some pics and measurements. The mast track is as follows:

View attachment 29343View attachment 29344

The sliders are 8mm, with a circular profile, and I'd need an extra 20-30 cm on the bottom of the track.

Allen do some luff tracks, e.g.:

View attachment 29345

However, the internal dimension is 16mm which seems unfeasibly large....

Any better ideas?
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just drill theought the existing track above that bungee & insert a large s/s split pin on a lanyard or as suggested drill from aft & tap them bolt a stop under the track
 
sailorman said:
just drill theought the existing track above that bungee & insert a large s/s split pin on a lanyard or as suggested drill from aft & tap them bolt a stop under the track
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Yes, easy enough but look at the gap between the bottom of the track and the gooseneck!
 
My suggestion in #10, was not entirely in jest. Do you absolutely need the top 30cm of track? How near the top of the track does the top slide go? If it does go right to the top of the track, how much difference would it make if it wasn't there? If you don't need it at the top, it could solve the problem at the bottom.
 
Neil said:
I meant Mast Track Conundrum.....

The track for my mainsail terminates quite a good way from the boom. Under normal circumstances, the mainsail runners would fall out the bottom of the track as the main sail is lowered. I try and secure the runners in the track with a bit of bungee cord going round the mast at the base of the track. However, this is not very secure, but more importantly, when the sail is lowered, the flaked sail is a long way from the boom and is difficult to tie down and fit the sail cover. The solution that I envision is a short, removable section of track with a stop at the end, which I could place immediately below the existing track, secured by a strap or clamp around the mast, which could be taken off when the main sail needs to be removed. Is there such a thing or is there another solution out there that would solve my problem?
Click to expand...

An extra piece of track is what you need. Have you tried asking a decent rigger/mast supplier? I'm always surprised with just what they can get their hands on. Alternatively somewhere like the barge at Bursledon may have something.

Yoda
 
I'm pretty sure it needs to go almost to the top, but I can have another look. To be honest, if its a case of destepping the mast, drilling out the track rivets, cutting the top of the track off, drilling and rivetting it at the bottom, stepping the mast .....I'll put up with the flaked sail 30cm above the boom.....
 
Neil said:
I'm pretty sure it needs to go almost to the top, but I can have another look. To be honest, if its a case of destepping the mast, drilling out the track rivets, cutting the top of the track off, drilling and rivetting it at the bottom, stepping the mast .....I'll put up with the flaked sail 30cm above the boom.....
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when you flake the sail pull the split pin out, drop out 2 or 3 slugs reinsert the pin
 
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